Flames of Auriel (A Caeles Adventure Book 1) (22 page)

Once the door was open Zoe backed out of the room, her eyes lingering on her prince. When the door finally closed behind her, she let out the breath she was holding. One point to Zoe for her stealthy exit.

As she turned around to walk down the hall, she bumped straight into a hard body. The impact caused all of her belongings to scatter to the floor. Zoe knelt down quickly and looked back at the bedroom door as she gathered her things. The sound of a throat clearing caused her eyes to move from the ground and up to the person she had bumped into.

Her eyes traveled up the stranger; she took in his leather boots, muscular legs, a deep red tunic and finally landed on his face. She recognized the blonde-haired man immediately and almost dropped her belongings again. Garrett stood before her with one eyebrow lifted and his mouth crooked at her state of shock.

She placed a finger to her mouth for silence and motioned for him to follow her downstairs. Zoe was finally going to get the answers she needed and she could tell by the look on his face that he had questions of his own. Zoe had so much she wanted to discuss with her friend, but explaining why she was sneaking out of her own room was not one of them.

Asher waited until the footsteps outside the door got further away before he slipped out of the bed. He jerked his breeches up, laced them shut and scanned the room for his shirt. He smirked when he found it on the other side of the room. His mind wandered to what Zoe and he had just done a few hours before. He tugged the shirt over his head, grabbed his boots and headed for the bedroom door.

He was curious to see what his betrothed was up to this late at night. Was she trying to avoid seeing him in the morning? Maybe she did not think it had meant anything to him. But the sound of two sets of footsteps made him think it was something else altogether.

Asher tried to make his steps as soundless as possible as he went down the Inn’s hall and turned to go downstairs. When a stair beneath him let out a squeak, he paused, his ears listening for incoming investigators. When no one appeared he continued his trek to find his princess.

He peeked around the doorway leading into the Inn’s dining hall. The sound of voices coming from a table by the bar drew his eyes to them. He could tell right away one of them was Zoe, but Asher’s mouth formed into a grim line when he recognized the second as her bodyguard, Garrett. What was he doing here?

“How did it go with your brother?”

Asher eyed the two from the doorway when the two leaned into their conversation. Their eyes kept flickering to the old man tending the bar. Jealousy reared its ugly head at their proximity. Asher frowned at the smile that spread across Garrett’s face at Zoe’s question.

“What no ‘how are you, Garrett’ or ‘I’m glad to see you’?”

Asher frowned as he watched the pair and then frown deepened at the carefree giggle that escaped Zoe’s mouth. She never laughed with him that way.

“I am happy to see you, Garrett, you know that.”

He heard Garrett snort at her. “Do I?”

Asher’s eyes narrowed at the hand Garrett had placed on Zoe’s as he cupped it in his own. He willed the fingers stroking his love’s hand to melt away. How dare he touch her so freely?

“It may have been a while since we have seen one another but I still remember our last conversation. Or has that changed?” Asher could see the hope that shined out of the bodyguard’s eyes. He smirked when Zoe slipped her hand out of his and looked away from those eyes.

“Nothing has changed, Garrett.” Zoe gazed up to her friend, her distraught clear. “Did you really think it would?”

Garrett’s face hardened and he banged a fist on the table. “Auriel help me, what do you expect, Zoe? I can’t just forget about us!”

Asher dug his nails into his palm and tried to ease the rage boiling in his blood. How dare this scum try to take what is his? He watched as Garrett placed his head in his hands and Asher strained to hear his quiet words.

“I can still remember how your skin feels against mine, how you taste –”

“Please, Garrett, don’t.”

“What? Don’t remind you of what you’re giving up? Can you honestly tell me you don’t miss this? Us?” He gestured between them.

Asher gripped the door frame when Garrett grabbed her hands again. His heart clenched as she frowned down at the table, her eyes full of confusion. He held his breath as he waited for her response.

“No...Yes...I don’t know, Garrett. What do you want me to say?”

“Nothing.” Garrett released her hands, crossed his arms over his chest and studied the liquid in his glass. “The situation is better than anticipated. Many of the soldiers are still loyal to your father. If we move now, we might –”

“Garret, don’t be like this. I have lost so many people in my life already. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.” She placed a hand on his, afraid of losing him as a friend.

The pressure in his chest ached at the desperate look on Zoe’s face. His hatred toward the lad across from her only grew at causing her such pain. Asher watched as Garrett jerked his eyes back up to hers.

“Who were you sneaking away from before?”

Zoe’s eyes fell down and to the left. He watched her eyes try to hide from Garrett’s question. “It was just Rebekah. I didn’t want to wake her.”

Garrett slammed both of his hands down on the table, the force of which caused it to rock. “Don’t lie to me! Rebekah is the one who told me where you were!” Garrett’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the sides of the table in his hands.

“Who was it?”

Asher’s eyes narrowed on the bodyguard. He had heard enough. He stepped into the doorway and leaned against the frame. The lad needed to learn his place.

“It was me.”

At the sound of Asher’s voice, Garrett eyes jerked up and glared at the prince, while Zoe tried to look anywhere but at Asher. The prince walked toward their table and took a seat on the bench next to Zoe. Asher smirked at the bodyguard and slipped an arm around Zoe’s waist.

Garrett’s eyes hardened when his friend did not yell or move away from the prince’s touch. “I guess that answers it then.”

Asher kept his eyes on Garrett and tightened his hold on Zoe’s silent form. He could feel her urge to smack him for his brashness by the way her muscles tightened up in her arm next to his hand. He chose to press his luck further and let out a smug laugh.

“I guess so.”

“Are you just going to let him treat you like that? The Zoe I knew would never let any man, let alone him –” Garrett pointed a finger at the prince. “– treat her like an object!”

Zoe felt the fire in her flicker at his accusations and pushed away from Asher a bit. She admitted she liked how possessive he had become of her but he was pushing her too far. She laughed to herself at how much she had changed. She glanced at Garrett’s form and noticed how red his face had become and how his body shook with suppressed rage.

She let her anger fill her voice. “You know how I feel about him and you know how I feel about you, so stop acting like a child who’s just had his favorite toy taken away.”

Zoe’s words caused Garrett’s anger to diminish some and left only regret in its wake. He stood from the table and threw his hands in the air. Why had he not listened to Alice when he had the chance?

“I can’t deal with this right now.” He turned to walk out of the inn but paused when Zoe called after him.

“We still have things to talk about, Garrett.”

With his back to her, he waved a hand over his shoulder, “You will get your report. I’m going back to the camp if that’s alright with you, your highness?” He took her silence as approval and continued out of the inn.

Zoe’s annoyance evaporated with her friend’s form, if she could still call him her friend. She was not even sure of that anymore. Things were changing and one of those things were looking down at her with an amused grin. She pushed Asher’s grinning form away from her and took a drink from the cup on her table.

“What are you smiling at?”

Asher scooted closer to her side and slid an arm back around her waist. With the annoying bodyguard finally gone, he had her all to himself. The conversation had been very enlightening for him and he could not help but tease her.

“How do you feel about me?”

She ignored his question and moved away from his arm. She threw a leg over the bench, grabbed her corset and stood to walk back toward her room.

Asher stood up after her and caught her hand in his. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get the bath that the gypsies so kindly paid for.” Zoe tried to slip her hand out of his but he pulled her into his arms instead. She glared up at his grinning face.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

Asher chuckled when she smacked his chest. He tugged her closer to his body and let the heat fill his eyes. He loved how well she fit in his arms.

“Don’t think you are changing the subject, but do you want some company?”

Zoe shivered at the look he was giving her. She wanted him to join her but she also needed time to herself to think. She knew spending more time with Asher would only lead to him asking her more questions she did not want to answer. She forced a shield over the emotions on her face and gave him a blank stare.

“I want to relax and you are anything, but –”

“I thought last night was pretty relaxing.” He cut her off with a teasing smirk.

Asher threw a look toward the barkeep that was pretending not to be watching them. He slid his hands down to cup her bottom and pressed her up against his hardened groin. He held back a groan at the feel of her body against his.

“Didn’t you?”

Zoe took in a shaky breath and used all her muscles to push herself out of his arms. She kept her hands up in defense and backed away from him. She could not think when he was so close to her.

“That is beside the point. How long are you staying anyway?”

Asher pretended to pout. “Trying to get rid of me already?”

“Yes.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, “Fine, have it your way. But I’m not leaving until I know what you are planning to do about your uncle.”

Zoe snorted, “What do you think I’m going to do? Gather supporters, stage a revolt, and take back the kingdom.” She shrugged, “You know, the usual.”

“Well what do I look like?” He waved a hand at her, “No, don’t answer that. I’m a supporter and I have an army at your disposal. That was the point of our betrothal wasn’t it?”

“I have an army. My own.”

Asher quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked. “But mine would make yours bigger.”

Zoe switched her corset to her other hand. She was quickly becoming irritated with this conversation. Men and their need to outdo others. When would they ever learn to think with their heads instead of their groins?

“And how do you plan on sneaking your army in to join mine without alerting my uncle to your presence? He has men all around the borders, especially yours.”

The prince threw his hands up and took a step toward her, “Well, how about a general? I’m a great tactician.”

She took a step away from him, a smirk on her face. “You can’t even beat me in chess.”

He took a few big strides toward her and grabbed her around the waist before she could leave. He leaned his face down until his mouth hovered over hers. He grinned as her breath hitched at the feel of his breath against her lips.

“Then how about a husband?”

Zoe glanced down at his lips, her breathed against his lips. “You know, I’m not sure if I have one of those yet but I’ll let you know if a spot opens up.”

His chuckle vibrated through her body. “Pain in the ass.”

She was given enough warning to say “Jerk” before Asher’s lips claimed her own.

All thoughts of leaving were pushed from her mind as she lost herself in his kiss. She reveled in the feel of his mouth on hers and moaned when he opened his mouth to hers to deepen the kiss. She could have stayed like that forever, but a pile of dishes smashed to the floor and the sound jerked them out of their passionate embrace.

They glanced toward the barkeep, who gave them a sheepish smile. He waved a hand at them as he hurried to pick up the dropped dishes. “Don’t mind me. Go about your business.”

The mood broke Zoe drew herself away from Asher. She picked up her discarded corset that had dropped to the floor. She hurried toward the stairway before he could catch her again.

“Zoe.”

She paused at the doorway and looked over her shoulder at him. Asher stood in the place she had left him, his lips curved up in a satisfied grin. She waited for him to speak.

“I feel that way about you too.”

She became breathless at his words. Zoe had the sudden urge to throw herself at him again. She forced herself to only smile at him before she hurried in to her room.

***

Rebekah peeked around the corner of her Uncle Dolph’s tent. She hoped to get a look at her angel, Garrett. She had dreamed of all the things she would say to him once he came back but now that he was really there every clever word slipped her mind.

Rebekah could only gaze in awe at the splendor that was him. His golden hair that glistened in the light and the brush of stubble across his chin. The blue of his eyes would make even Lucifer green with envy. The young gypsy sighed and bit her lip. He would never notice her.

Even if he did, being almost three years his junior automatically put her in the kid sister category. Rebekah took in his wonderful form once more as he talked to her uncle about their plan to take back the kingdom. If only he would get to know her, then maybe after a few years they could be together. She squinted as the glint of the sun as it struck off of his sword and gave her an idea. With a new plan in her view, she walked toward her angel.

Garrett looked up from the map he was studying to the girl that was approaching him. He did not know her too well but knew that Zoe had become quite fond of the young gypsy. He took her in now and had to admit she was pretty for her age.

Garrett pitied any boy that dare ask for her affection. She was going to leave a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Her black hair was still pulled into a braid from yesterday’s performance and her eyes, almost pitch black themselves, complemented her delicate features and small form. Garret straightened his form when those eyes landed on him. The older lad quirked a brow at her when she stopped before him, hands firmly on her hips.